


the sun shines in your smile

by arzenpai, dazai



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: M/M, kids!first years, lifeguard!Daichi, oikawa tooru attempts to matchmake, swimming coach!Suga
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-09-02
Updated: 2015-09-02
Packaged: 2018-04-18 16:42:27
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 11,841
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4713032
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/arzenpai/pseuds/arzenpai, https://archiveofourown.org/users/dazai/pseuds/dazai
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Koushi's summer as a swimming instructor was usually filled with the scent of chlorine, the sound of children's laughter, and the familiar cold of the water.</p><p>This year, however, brings about a lifeguard by the name of Sawamura Daichi.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Summer. It was the season of heat and sunshine, of barbecues and fireworks, of surfing and swimming. It was also Sugawara Koushi's favorite season, primarily for the reason that it marked the opening of the local public swimming pool, and the start of swimming classes for the kids.

It had been two years ago when Koushi's childhood friend and neighbor, as well as owner of the pool, Oikawa Tooru approached him about a part-time job as a swimming instructor. It was the perfect job for Koushi, who needed extra funds, and he already had all of the qualifications; he was a great swimmer and a great teacher, and he was simply excellent with kids. Koushi had a kind smile and a gentle touch that made it easy for people to like him, and kids were especially drawn to him like moths to a light. "Please?" Tooru had begged, hands clasped together and eyes pleading. "You're the only one I can rely on, Kou-chan."

"I'm sure there are better swimming instructors out there whom you can ask," Koushi had sighed, but in the end he had relented. He could use the extra money, and besides, the job /did/ sound like fun. He would probably end up enjoying it.

And to no one’s surprise, he did. By the end of his first day on the job, Koushi had won the hearts of all his students, as well as that of their parents. The kids went home with high spirits and promises of returning for the next session, perhaps even with a couple of other friends. Word spread, and soon the number of students grew to the point that Tooru hired occasional assistant instructors. The entire thing was such a success, Tooru also signed Koushi up to return to his job for the summer after that. And this time, Koushi didn’t hesitate to accept.

It was his third year on the job, and he was feeling pretty excited. Tooru had sent him the class list the night before, and aside from a few returning students, there were a couple of new ones as well. ‘I wonder what the new kids are like,’ Koushi thought with a chuckle as he entered the employee locker room to leave his things and get changed. It was still rather early, so there weren’t many people yet. ‘Hopefully they’re not too difficult… But I won’t say no to a challenge!’

Koushi stripped off his clothes and changed into a white hoodie and pair of swimming trunks. Maybe he could warm up and stretch for a bit so that he was prepared once the children arrived. Yeah, he could do that.

However, to his pleasant surprise, there were already a few kids sitting by the pool. “Suga-sensei!” called out a freckled kid with a shy smile. “Good morning!” Yamaguchi Tadashi had been attending summer swimming classes for two years now, along with his rather irritable friend, Tsukishima Kei.

Tadashi was truly a sweet boy, and Koushi couldn’t resist the fond gaze that he sent him. “Hello, Tadashi-kun,” he greeted, crouching in front of him and ruffling his hair, an action that the child allowed with a pleased smile. “How was your year?”

“He’s gotten better in math, that’s for sure,” came the gruff drawl from the side, and Koushi looked up to see Kei standing by the edge of the pool with his arms crossed. He still looked like he didn’t enjoy being here; Ken’s brother Akiteru happened to be one of Koushi’s co-workers, but unlike Koushi, his job was more managerial than hands-on with the children. That being said, it was only optimal for Akiteru to bring Kei to the club every summer for him to have something to occupy his time with. Although Koushi was sure that Kei enjoyed it here, especially when Tadashi was around.

Koushi chuckled. “That’s good to hear, Tadashi-kun.” Last year, Tadashi had lamented the way his math grades had plummeted right after they started learning about fractions. It was nice to know that that problem had been fixed, somehow. 

He turned to Kei and held out his hand. “Want help with your cap, Kei-kun? We still have a few people to wait for, so I’m afraid we can’t go into the water just yet.”

Kei frowned at him. “I can put it on myself.” A few beats of silence passed, and Kei eventually handed over his swimming cap to Koushi. “But you do a better job, so here.”

Koushi hummed in agreement and shifted so that he was completely facing the blonde boy. “How was your year, Kei-kun?” He often saw Kei and Tadashi walk from their elementary school when he was taking a break from a particularly arduous day at the clinic. 

He gently pulled the cap unto Kei’s head, making sure to tuck any stray curls underneath the elastic.

Kei shut his eyes for a brief moment before resuming his disinterested expression. “It was normal.”

Koushi hummed again, not at all bothered by the lack of enthusiasm on Kei’s part. That was just part of the kid’s personality, and Koushi wasn’t going to scold him just because of it. As long as Kei enjoyed his classes, then it was fine.

Tadashi came up beside Kei, grinning widely. “Tsukki was awesome, Suga-sensei!” He slapped his hands down Kei’s bare shoulders and shook him. “Tsukki’s the tallest in our class now, and he’s also the smartest! He’s the first in class, you know! And he’s so nice, always helping me out with my homework!”

A frustrated but somewhat embarrassed expression took over Kei’s face, and Koushi mirrored Tadashi’s smile. “Really? That’s great, Tadashi-kun! Kei-kun really is your best friend, isn’t he?” Kei might not openly be proud of his achievements, but at least he had Tadashi to appreciate him. The kid needed more confidence in himself, really.

Tsukki turned to glare at Tadashi. “Yamaguchi, shut up. Stop bothering Suga-sensei with nonsense.” The smaller boy shrank back with a sheepish smile and an apology, so Koushi stood up and patted Kei’s head.

“Now, now, Kei-kun, that’s not really nonsense, you know. You should be proud that you’re doing great at school.” He only smiled when the blonde boy scowled and turned his head away.

“Suga-sensei! I found a dumbass in the locker room!”

“Shut up! I’m not a dumbass!”

Koushi gasped in horror and whirled around to watch Kageyama Tobio and an unnamed orange-haired little boy who looked way younger than the others run up to him. “Tobio-kun! No running near the pool! You could slip!” he scolded, holding his hands out for the two children to run into. “And don’t say that! It’s not a nice thing to say to someone you just met.”

Tobio gripped his arm and shook it. He was scowling but he didn’t defend himself, no doubt already knowing that his actions were wrong. 

Koushi looked at the other boy hanging from his arm. “And who might you be?” he asked with an amiable smile. He wondered what had happened between the two in the locker rooms that Tobio started to call him ‘dumbass’, which was supposedly a word that children didn’t know.

“Ah! I’m Hinata Shouyou! It’s nice to meet you!” From the way he looked to the way he spoke, the boy Shouyou immediately reminded Koushi of the sun, warm and bright. Despite the fact that he had just been arguing with Tobio earlier, he grinned easily at Koushi now, his smile radiant. “I look forward to working with you today!”

Koushi couldn’t help but chuckle softly at his enthusiasm. “Well, it’s nice to meet you, Shouyou-kun… May I call you Shouyou-kun?” When the child nodded, Koushi smiled. “I’m Sugawara Koushi, and I’ll be your swimming teacher this summer. If you’d like, you can call me Suga-sensei like the others.”

“Suga-sensei…” Shouyou looked thoughtful for a moment, though it didn’t take long before his grin returned. “That’s much easier to remember!”

“Isn’t it? That way, you won’t forget,” said Koushi, laughing. Well, it certainly looked like an energetic kid had joined his group. Surely this would make things more exciting, especially when both Kei and Tobio were such broody children.

Tobio’s scowl deepened as he watched the scene. Huffing, he let go of Koushi’s arm, leaving the pool without another word.

“Looks like the King’s jealous,” muttered Kei with a smirk, making Koushi frown slightly.

“Don’t use that nickname, you know Tobio-kun doesn’t like it.” He sighed and shook his head, before turning to Shouyou, who looked quite confused, with a smile. “Anyway, don’t you worry about it, Shouyou-kun. He’ll come back eventually. For now… Why don’t you all join me in a warm-up, hm?”

###### .

“And over here we have the slides,” Oikawa Tooru said, gesturing with his hand. “As to be expected, the kids go pretty wild with it, so we tend to have some extra security around here. It’s usually Mattsun who guards this area, though.”

“Mattsun… That’s Matsukawa, right?”

“Bingo!” Tooru grinned. “Looks like you’re already getting the hang of some things.”

Sawamura Daichi smiled sheepishly, shrugging his shoulders. “Well, I try.” It was his first day at the pool in his new job as a lifeguard, and his boss was giving him a full tour of the place before the customers started coming in. So far, he remembered everything Tooru had taught him, and he figured he could do his job without much help.

“I guess that’s just about it.” Tooru looked around, nodded, then turned back to Daichi. “But should we go around one more time? I don’t think I’ve introduced you to everyone else yet…”

“Oh no, that’s fine. I can introduce myself when I meet them.” Surely there was still work for Tooru to be done, considering that he was the boss. Daichi didn’t want to bother him any further, especially not when he knew he was capable of handling things on his own. “I’ve got it covered.”

“I don’t doubt that.” Tooru felt confident in his new employee, positive that he wasn’t going to fail him. “I suppose I should be going ahead, then. I’ll see you later, Dai-chan!”

“Got it.”

Daichi watched his boss leave, before exhaling and stretching his arms. _'Alright, my first day'_. He wasn’t very worried, actually. He had some experience in the job from working in the past, and besides, being a lifeguard wasn’t that difficult. He’d manage just fine.

###### .

Koushi allowed himself a sigh of relief as the lessons began. He had given the kids a brief orientation, as well as assisted them with some warm-up and stretching, before finally allowing them to enter the pool. So far there had only been minimal problems, like some children being noisy and inattentive (Tobio and Shouyou had gotten into an argument, again) and a few others being hesitant about getting into the water.

Fortunately, Koushi was an expert at handling these situations, and they passed without much incident. It was also helpful that he had an assistant with him, his co-worker Ennoshita Chikara. Chikara was also a hit with the kids, and several of them were already playing with him in the water.

“Alright, listen up, everyone,” Koushi said, calling for their attention by clapping his hands. The children turned to look at him, and he gave them a kind smile. “We can all play later when we’re done, okay? For now, why don’t we learn how to float?”

“Okay!” the kids replied, some looking very eager to begin. Koushi chuckled softly in amusement.

“Alright, watch closely now, okay?” Koushi motioned for Chikara to go to him, and the two proceeded to demonstrate the basics of floating, with Koushi acting as Chikara’s guide. “See, it’s pretty simple! There are bars on the side of the pool you can hold on to, but we’ll be guiding you while you try it out, okay?”

The kids immediately proceeded to try floating, and the pool was filled with splashing and cries of glee. Koushi ran his gaze down the line of children, satisfied that they seemed to be having fun so far, and blinked when he realized that there was one who wasn’t doing anything. Shouyou was standing close to the gutter, his hands gripping the bar tightly. He seemed to be tensed up, and Koushi was familiar enough with situations like this that he sort of already knew what the problem was.

He waded to the orange-haired boy and gently put a hand on his shoulder. “Shouyou-kun? Are you alright?”

Shouyou jumped and whirled to look at him. “S-Suga-sensei!” He looked panicked, and Koushi frowned. “I-I…! I’m gonna do it now!”

Koushi’s frown deepened when he noticed that Shouyou was shaking. “Shouyou-kun...are you afraid of the water?” he asked, already aware of the answer. A lot of kids, especially those younger, were afraid of swimming. They were afraid of losing their footing on the tiled floor, which was an understandable fear. Some adults also had that fear.

“W-What? N-No! O-O-Of course not!” Shouyou slapped the water, gesturing wildly. “I-I’ll prove it you!” His cheeks were red with embarrassment, especially because some of the children had stopped their floating exercises to look at him.

Koushi took both of Shouyou’s shoulders into his hands, gripping gently but firmly. There was a stern but understanding expression on his face. “Shouyou-kun,” he started, quietening Shouyou’s protests, “there is absolutely nothing wrong with being afraid to swim.” He added a reassuring smile to make sure Shouyou understood what he was trying to say. “I’ll help you, okay?”

###### .

Despite Koushi’s encouragement, it was impossible for Shouyou to even just stop shaking. Koushi looked at him with worry in his eyes; if this kept up, there was a high possibility that Shouyou would just get into an accident.

“Shouyou-kun?” Koushi put his hand over the boy’s, giving him a gentle smile. “Maybe you should sit this one out for now? You can sit by the bench over there.”

A panicked expression appeared on Shouyou’s face, which took Koushi by surprise. “B-but… I…” He clenched the bar with his fists, biting his lip and looking defeated. He was silent for a few moments, before he finally nodded his head dejectedly. “O-okay then.”

He got out of the pool by himself, and Koushi watched him worriedly. ‘Poor kid,’ he thought, as Shouyou sat down on the bench with his head down. ‘He looks really upset.’ And he felt like he understood why; he had only known the child for a while, but Shouyou gave off an optimistic, determined, and competitive vibe, and he probably considered not being able to swim as some form of defeat.

“Chikara-kun.” Koushi waved his hand at his assistant, catching his attention. “Can you look over the kids for the meantime? I’ll just go and talk to Shouyou-kun.” Chikara gave him a thumbs-up, and Koushi smiled and nodded, before getting out of the pool.

He walked over to the bench where Shouyou was, sitting next to him. The boy glanced up at him for a moment before looking away again, eyes still downcast.

“Shouyou-kun?” tested Koushi gently, not wanting the child to feel like he was being reprimanded or pressured. “Is everything alright?”

Shouyou was quiet, not looking at him. He looked like he was about to nod, before seeming to shake his head, and in the end he remained still.

Koushi swallowed and tried again. “Shouyou-kun,” he said, making sure to keep his tone gentle, “would you mind telling me why you’re afraid of the water? I’m here to help you, if you’ll let me.”

“I-I’m not scared,” Shouyou said this time, though his voice sounded weak as he said it. His hands were still shaking slightly as he clasped them together. “I… I just…”

Koushi waited for him to speak. When he didn’t, Koushi only smiled. “It’s totally fine to be afraid, Shouyou-kun,” he said. “Every person has something they’re afraid of, you know? Some of the other kids were too scared to even get in the pool earlier… But you were brave enough to enter the water, Shouyou-kun, and that alone is admirable. I remember being afraid of swimming when I was young, too.” He chuckled softly at the memory, remembering how he had tried not to cry the first time his parents took him to the pool. “So… I think you shouldn’t be ashamed of your fears, Shouyou-kun. What matters is that you try your best to overcome them. Don’t you think?”

“I… I understand, Suga-sensei.” Shouyou still seemed to be a bit hesitant, but this time he looked up to meet Koushi’s gaze, and this time Koushi saw the light in his eyes slowly flickering back to life. “I promise I’m going to do my best and try as hard as I can.”

“That’s good. Deciding to try is always the first step.” Koushi smiled widely, feeling pleased. It wasn’t going to be instant, but he was sure that with the right encouragement, Shouyou would be able to swim before the summer ended. “I’ll be here to help you every step of the way, got it?”

This time, Shouyou grinned. “Thank you, Suga-sensei!”

###### .

Koushi was currently in a state of inner crisis. Since the swimming classes for children was once every two days, he hadn’t seen Shouyou since their previous class. But that didn’t mean the orange-haired kid had left his mind. Tooru had always told him he worried too much, and Koushi agreed, even tried to change himself because the stress that accompanied overthinking was sometimes too much to handle. But this was no trivial matter Koushi could just shrug off. This was a matter that involved one of his students, and Koushi was willing to do anything just to make sure Shouyou overcomes his fear.

“…ga? Suga? Suga!”

Kiyoko’s sharp tone snapped Koushi out of his stupor, and he looked up from his breakfast to find her staring at him with a mixture of worry and exasperation. “Uh- Kiyoko- Sorry, what were you saying?”

She sighed and frowned at him. “Suga, what’s wrong? I’ve been calling you for some time now, but you haven’t been responding.” She reached across the table and laid her hand on top of his. “You can tell me.”

Koushi released his own sigh and stared at her hand over his. He really appreciated how she was always there for him, despite her own accounting job in at least five establishments. “I’m just worried… there’s this kid in my swimming class who’s afraid of swimming. There’s something about him, Kiyoko. I’ve seen kids who didn’t want to go into the pool at first, but there’s… there’s something about him that makes me think there’s something _more_.” He raised his gaze to meet her dark eyes, a despairing look in his eyes. “I don’t want to do anything that might trigger something… what if I make him even more afraid?”

Kiyoko’s expression twisted in worry, and she took his hands into hers. “Suga, maybe you’re worrying too much.” She squeezed and let a small smile tilt her lips. “I’ve seen you around your students; there is no way you’d do anything bad. You love them too much, and you’re a natural with kids. As Saeko says, you’re the mom friend.”

Koushi’s frown, unfortunately, did not disappear with her reassurance. “It’s just… what can I do to help him? He looks so _scared_.” The image of Shouyou shaking as he clung to the metal bar with his little hands, and the sight of his downcast face as he sat out of his first swimming class, were engraved in Koushi’s mind, and he wanted nothing more than to dispel that look of fear from the bubbly child’s face. Shouyou should be smiling and laughing, like he was during the stretching portion of the class. He should be teasing Tobio back and making those ridiculously energetic gestures of his, not curling up on himself just because he couldn’t swim.

Kiyoko withdrew her hands and just continued to smile at him. “Well, you can always give him extra attention. Or maybe teaching him one-on-one? It’ll give him reassurance that he won’t be overlooked even if he goes underwater.” And there was Kiyoko and her magical way of pulling him up from his slump. They had been friends for majority of their lives, having known each other since middle school, and she was his closest friend next to Tooru. There wasn’t a day in his life when he forgot to thank the gods that she was his friend. His life might be a wreck otherwise.

Koushi felt himself smiling now. That seemed like the perfect solution, and if it weren’t enough, then Koushi would explore other options. “I’ll do that. Thanks, Kiyoko. I don’t know what I’d do without you.” He always meant this when he said it, and Kiyoko’s smile showed that she believed it.

“You’d probably ask Tanaka for advice and get yourself into more trouble,” she quipped as she stirred her coffee. The offhanded comment made Koushi laugh because that was just too true. It had happened before, and it involved a toaster, some oranges, and a whole lot of balls, but it was an incident Koushi preferred not to talk about. The mere recollection always made him cringe.

“Well, that’s true. Now, I know better.” Tanaka wasn’t a bad person, but when he was in the same room with Nishinoya, there was just no end to their shenanigans, and it drove everyone around them crazy.

Kiyoko caught sight of something in his face and had to smile again. “Just keep smiling, Suga. Everything will be fine.”

Like always, Suga believed her.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Koushi meets the new lifeguard, but to his dismay (and delight), Sawamura Daichi is a father.

Koushi was preparing for another day of swimming lesson with the kids when the door to the locker room slammed open with a loud bang. He jumped, but only sighed in exasperation when he was saw that it was Tooru. No matter where the brunet went, he always had to make a strong impression. It was no different in the swimming club that he owned, apparently, even if he was already well-known by most, if not all, the members. After all, Tooru made sure to personally know each member when they signed up.

“Kou-chan!” greeted Tooru with a large wave. “I have someone I want you to meet!”

Koushi sent him a skeptical look, because that statement always promised him some cringe-worthy awkward moments. It was either Tooru wanted him to meet one of his new beaus, or he wanted to matchmake Koushi with a random male he saw downtown. Either way, it never ended well for Koushi. “What is it?” he asked, his tone not hiding his suspicion. “Please don’t tell me it’s another one of your blind dates, Oikawa Tooru, or so help me, I will make sure Ushijima shows up to your next one.”

A horrified and betrayed look crossed Tooru’s features. “You’d never dare, Kou-chan!” He huffed and crossed his arms. “And to answer your question, no, it’s nothing like that. But because you went home early yesterday, I wasn’t able to introduce to you our new lifeguard.”

Koushi blinked. “Ah, right… Iwaizumi-san’s replacement, right?” Hajime had been a co-owner of the swimming club, and he was also a lifeguard for the deeper pools. Koushi then shook himself off that train of through and focused on Tooru’s grinning face. It was an expression that still promised hell for Koushi, so he kept himself on guard.

“Anyway, are you even sure about this guy? The last time you hired someone, he was scary enough that people would have chosen drowning over being saved by him.” Tooru, unfortunately, was known for hiring the eccentric types. There was Bokuto Koutarou as the swimming coach for the adults, whose mood could make a 180-degree turn from endlessly energetic to pitifully down. Then there was Kuroo Tetsurou, the café barista who did nothing but pay attention to that teen with the dual-colored hair. There was also Kyoutani Kentarou, Haiba Lev, and a few others that Koushi unfortunately didn’t know the name of.

“You wound me, Kou-chan!” once again came Tooru’s dramatic denial. “Relax, this guy is nothing like Ushiwaka-chan!” His grin returned, and he slung an arm around Koushi’s shoulders and started to steer him out of the locker room. “Well, just see for yourself, hm?”

Once they were inside the pool area, Tooru continued to lead Koushi to the pool that Haijime used to watch over. “There he is, Kou-chan! Look, look!”

“Okay, Tooru, you don’t have to—” Koushi felt throat run dry because the new lifeguard was just, simply put, _hot_. He was a dashing figure standing near the edge of the pool, with tanned skin and an easy smile. And oh god, those thighs. They might as well have been sculpted in marble, because Koushi could see the muscles rippling underneath the skin as the male shifted his weight to his other foot.

Tooru’s grin was wicked. “See! I can hire someone good! He’s a total charmer, too!” They both watched as a pair of college students walked up to the lifeguard, giggling under their breaths as they asked a question. The still-unnamed lifeguard only smiled at them before pointing to one of the doors that lead out of the pool area. And with the another set of giggles, the college girls walked away, whispering to each other. “He’s your type, isn’t he, Kou-chan? Tall, dark, muscular? Hmm?”

Koushi felt himself flush, not just because of the way Tooru teased him about their new lifeguard, but also because of the implication it meant. Even until now, Tooru never ceased to tease him about his old crush on Hajime—it was a mistake to ever mention that to Tooru, especially because Tooru and Hajime were close friends. Koushi didn’t know what he had been thinking. “Tooru!" he scolded in indignation.

But Tooru only laughed and to Koushi’s horror, began to wave in direction of the lifeguard. “Dai-chan!” he calls out in that loud and obnoxious tone of this, “I want you to meet someone important, so c’mere!”

Koushi looked at Tooru with betrayal in his eyes—he hadn’t been mistaken. This was another one of Tooru’s misguided attempts at finding him a boyfriend.

He inwardly flailed and fought to keep his composure as ‘Dai-chan’ began to walk towards them, an inquisitive smile on his handsome face. It wouldn’t do well to stammer and blush in front of the male. Koushi didn’t want to make the workplace awkward because of an attraction.

“Oikawa, hey.” His eyes landed on Koushi, and Koushi smiled, hoping to the high heavens that he didn’t look constipated. “Who’s this important person?”  
Tooru slung his arm back over Koushi’s shoulder. “This, Dai-chan, is Kou-chan. I hope you two get along well.”

The male turned his smile to him and Koushi once again prayed to the gods that he wasn’t making a weird expression. Judging from Tooru’s grin, Koushi was handling this very well, but he was still paranoid when it came to these kinds of things. “Hello, ‘Kou-chan’.” Koushi wanted to melt. “Sawamura Daichi, pleasure to meet you.” He offered his hand to Koushi, and Koushi had to pry Tooru’s arm off him just so he could shake it properly.

“Sugawara Koushi, the pleasure is mine. Please, just call me Suga.” Okay, his voice sounded normal. It wasn’t shaking, which was better than when he had met Hajime.

Recognition seemed to flash in Daichi’s eyes, and his smile only brightened. “Ah! You’re the Suga-sensei Shoyou kept on talking about! Well, I can certainly see why.”

Koushi’s traitorous heart skipped a beat at the last line, but he zeroed in on what Daichi said beforehand. “Shouyou-kun?” How did Shouyou factor into this situation? Did Daichi know him somehow? But how? Shouyou shouldn’t be loitering around the deeper pools. The thought made Koushi’s face twist in worry.

Daichi seemed to have taken this as a bad thing. “Relax!” He laughed this deep, throaty laugh that made Koushi want to melt. “He has nothing but good words for you, and it relieves me to know that my son is in good hands.”

Ah. Shouyou was his son. Koushi felt himself wilt slightly at the newly revealed information. Because of course, the new lifeguard that Tooru had to introduce to him was married and with children. ‘Why is my love life so complicated?’ he lamented.

He sent a look towards Tooru, promising that there would a talk about this later, and Tooru only gave him a sheepish smile.

“Well, I promise your son really is in good hands, Dai-chan! Kou-chan has been teaching here for three years now, and he even mothers _me_ ,” Tooru cut in. Koushi was thankful for the intervention.

Oh well. It couldn’t be helped.

###### .

A week had already passed, along with it a couple of swimming sessions, but until now, Shouyou couldn’t swim. He could kick his feet and move in the water if Koushi was holding his hands and if his head wasn’t under the surface, but other than that, he was too frozen with fear despite Koushi’s multiple assurances and encouragements. The fear still hadn’t receded one bit.

And so, Shouyou found himself occupying the bench until everyone had finished swimming. With despairing eyes, he was watching the other kids pull themselves out of the water after their lesson with the freestyle stroke. Koushi felt his heart break even more. _‘There has to be a way I can help him…’_

Koushi blinked as Tobio walked up to Shouyou, his towel slung around his neck. What was Tobio doing?

Tobio scowled at Shouyou, his displeasure apparent. “Why can’t you swim? What are you so afraid of? You’re taking too much of Suga-sensei’s time,” he grouched, gritting his teeth as he glared at Shouyou. “It’s not that hard to swim. I was already swimming by the time I was three. Besides, it’s just a pool. There aren’t any sharks in it.” He was obviously referring to another child who had found it hard to step into the pool because he thought a shark would eat him.

Koushi watched with horror as Tobio ran his mouth off. Shouyou, of course, immediately bristled at what Tobio said, and stood up, glaring right back. If it weren’t for the fuss they were making, Koushi would have been happy at how Shouyou’s eyes stopping looking so disheartened.

“M-Mind your own business, Kageyama!” he screamed, his tiny fists clenched at his sides and angry tears making his eyes watery. “Suga-sensei probably even likes me more than you! Because you look like a butt!”

Koushi hastened to cross the water from his end of the pool, but Tobio and Shouyou’s fight was escalating too fast. Where was Chikara when you needed him?

A look of utter offense was plastered on Tobio’s face. “Y-You…!” he stammered. “You’re a butt!” He lunged for Shouyou and began to pull at his cheeks, making Shouyou cry out and flail, trying to grab Tobio’s cheeks as well.

“Nuh-uh! Pwetty sure you’we the butt, To-butt!”

“Shut up, Hina-butt!”

“Boys, boys, cut it out!” Koushi finally managed to cross the pool. He separated them from each other and looked sternly at them. “You two shouldn’t be fighting!” This was bad. Shouyou might have responded in anger, but there was no doubt that that anger would soon simmer down into disappointment and even more despair. Shouyou didn’t need more of that! Koushi had been trying his best to reassure Shouyou that it was alright to be afraid of swimming, that it was perfectly normal to have fears. But now that Tobio had spoken up about it, and in such a way…

“Tobio-kun!” Koushi scolded, for once losing his cheerful tone. “That wasn’t a very night thing to do! It is perfectly alright for someone to be afraid of swimming. You shouldn’t have gone after Shouyou-kun like that.” His irritation and worry wavered when he saw Tobio’s shell-shocked face, which soon dwindled into an expression that was somewhat similar to Shouyou’s face whenever he couldn’t swim.

“Suga-sensei, I…” Tobio stammered, sounding pretty panicked. Shouyou looked pretty triumphant that Koushi sided with him, and Koushi let it slide because Shouyou needed all the delicate handling that he could get.

“Oh dear, looks like the King can’t handle it when the attention’s not on him. Whatever shall we commoners do?” came Kei’s drawl, and Koushi just wanted to. Strangle someone. Preferably someone who was not a child, because Koushi never hurt children, even when they were showing their nasty sides.

Tobio’s look of subdued shame morphed back into anger. “Shut up, Tsuki-butt! Stop calling me that!” He attempted to lunge at Kei, but luckily Koushi caught him on time. He still struggled despite Koushi’s hold on him, yelling insults at the blonde, who looked pretty smug, a satisfied smirk on his face.

“Kei-kun, stop teasing Tobio-kun!” he chided, frowning at the taller child, whose smirk fell off his face, replaced by a disinterested gaze.

Koushi sighed and continued to hold on to Tobio even after the kid stopped struggling against his hold. “Alright, go take your baths. I don’t want to hear any fighting from you three. From any of you, understand?” He sent an unusually stern look to all the kids present.

“Yes, Suga-sensei…” they all chorused, with varying degrees of tone.

He sighed in relief and nodded at Chikara, who had just arrived but had witnessed the fight between Tobio and Kei. The male nodded in response, and at least Koushi could relax a bit because Chikara was surprisingly very good t making children obey him. They’d be fine without him in the locker room.

 _‘This is so stressful...’_ After this little episode, no doubt Shouyou’s worries about ever swimming would worsen, so Koushi needed to think of something, and fast.

But for now, there was something else he needed to do. To get to the bottom of this problem, he needed to know what exactly had happened in the past to make Shouyou like this. He had been hoping to resolve this without prying too much into the child’s past, but it was nearly impossible; he should have known that trying to solve a problem that wasn’t even known was just plain idiocy. As such, he needed to talk to the one person who knew what had happened.

He needed to talk to Daichi.

###### .

_‘Okay, Suga, you’ve got this.’_

Koushi took a deep breath, a serious, determined expression on his face. All he had to do was walk up to Daichi and ask him why Shouyou was afraid of the water. Okay. Simple as that. Very, very simple. So, the first thing he had to do was walk. Put one foot in front of the other, and then another, heading for Daichi’s direction, and…

 _‘Fuck.’_ Koushi put his face in his hands, feeling himself heat up at the mere thought of approaching Daichi. He couldn’t believe this. He was getting _this_ flustered and nervous over a single guy. He was pretty sure he didn’t have it this bad even for Hajime. What kind of mysterious power did Sawamura Daichi have to make him like this?

 _‘I’m being way too obvious. I can’t have him figuring out that I’ve got a crush on him.’_ That would make things so much more awkward. What if Daichi didn’t even like men? He probably didn’t, seeing as he would’ve slept with a _woman_ to have a child. And from what he heard from Shouyou, he had a little sister, so Daichi had _children_. Just how awkward would it get if Sugawara Koushi, the gay swimming instructor, ended up blurting out that he had a _huge_ crush on Sawamura Daichi, the straight new lifeguard and father of two?

 _Terribly_ awkward. Way more than the normal level of awkward. _Just kill me now and delete my entire existence from this universe_ awkward.

 _‘Augh, get it together, Koushi!’_ Koushi groaned mentally, peering between his fingers to look at Daichi from afar. He was standing by the pool, keeping a watchful eyes on the swimmers. _God,_ he looked way too damn good even just standing there. How was Koushi supposed to keep himself from foaming in the mouth just being within his perimeter.

 _‘Okay, I’m probably exaggerating. But_ really _, what am I supposed to do?’_ He had to make sure Daichi didn’t figure out that Koushi had a big-ass crush on him. And to do that, he had to appear confident and very casual. No hint of infatuation visible in the way he acted. Yep.

 _‘Like that’s easy!’_ Koushi paced restlessly in his spot, frantic. It was giving him a headache just worrying about this, and his nervousness was making a stomachache add to that, too. He seriously had to relax.

He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, trying to clear his thoughts. _‘Okay, Koushi, think. You’re doing this for someone. Yes, that’s right, Koushi, who are you doing this for? You’re doing this for Shouyou-kun. He can’t swim, he’s afraid of the water, and you just want to help him. To help him better, you have to figure out why he’s afraid of the water. And since he won’t tell you, the only other way to do that is to ask his father, who knows the reason for sure. So now, Koushi, you have to man up and face your crush. Screw everything else - your students are your priority.’_

Koushi opened his eyes, looking more determined now. He took a few deep breaths again, repeating a mantra of _‘Do it for Shouyou, do it for Shouyou’_ in his mind. Finally, he started walking.

The mere fact that he managed to walk without wobbling made Koushi feel relieved. _‘Okay, I just have to keep this up,’_ he thought, trying to keep himself from smiling proudly. _‘Just a bit more -’_

And he slipped.

Right on his ass.

“Ow…” he muttered, groaning softly as he sat up. _‘Great, Koushi, great. You messed up. Now let’s just hope he didn’t see that-’_

“Are you okay?” came the sound of Daichi’s voice.

 _‘Fuck!’_ “A-ah, y-yeah, I’m fine!” exclaimed Koushi as he hastened to get up - only to slip once more.

Luckily this time, Daichi was there to grab him by the arm to keep him from falling. Koushi felt his face heat up just having Daichi’s hand on him, and it didn’t help when he turned his head to look up at the older man’s face, because _whoa_ , it was enough to nearly make Koushi swoon. Daichi looked so much more attractive up close, with those dark, deep-set eyes, and that strong jaw, and…

“Hey, you sure you’re okay?” said Daichi with a soft chuckle, interrupting his train of thought. Koushi reddened in embarrassment, and with Daichi’s help he tried to stand upright.

 _‘Okay, get it together, Koushi.’_ “Y-yeah, I’m fine. Just got a bit reckless over there,” he said, laughing. “A-Anyway, um… I came here to talk to you, Sawamura-san. Is that okay?”

Daichi blinked, a little surprised, but he nodded his head. “Sure, that’s fine. It’s actually already the start of Matsukawa’s shift, and I was just staying to keep watch while he changed clothes… Should we go somewhere when he gets back?”

“Y-yes, please.” Thankfully that didn’t take long, because not long after, Matsukawa Issei appeared, thanking Daichi for momentarily covering for him. Daichi just shrugged and told him it was no problem, before he excused himself with Koushi.

The two of them headed for the cafe, which was right by the pool entrance. They sat at an empty table by the window, Daichi ordering a cup of coffee and Koushi settling for a glass of water. As they waited, Koushi decided to speak up, before his nervousness got the better of him again.

“S-so, Sawamura-san.” Great, he already _sounded_ nervous. He mentally told himself to calm down before he resumed. “I don’t want to beat around the bush, so I’ll get right to why I wanted to talk to you. I wanted to ask… What happened to Shouyou-kun to make him so afraid of water?”

“Ah.” Daichi sighed softly, leaning back against his chair. “I was expecting you’d ask me that sooner or later.”

“Shouyou-kun… got into a fight with a few of the other kids this morning,” Koushi explained, clasping his hands together. “It’s been a week, and he still can’t swim… Being the only one in class who hasn’t learned yet, I think it’s putting a huge blow on his self-esteem. Especially since he seems like the kind of kid who doesn’t like to lose.” It only made things worse that he and Tobio saw each other as rivals, since Tobio was a talented swimmer, and was ahead of all the other children in Koushi’s class. “As his teacher, I believe I ought to know the reason why he’s so afraid. I really want to help him to the best of my ability.”

Daichi was silent as he listened to Koushi, and when he finished, he nodded his head. “I understand,” he said, looking a bit solemn. “I’ll tell you why Shouyou is afraid of the water, but… Is it okay if you don’t tell him I told you? I don’t want him to feel twice as ashamed as he probably already does.”

“O-oh, no, I understand completely,” said Koushi right away. “It’s between the two of us, Sawamura-san.”

Daichi smiled, and Koushi felt his heart skip a beat. “Okay, so… Shouyou was still fine a year ago. In fact, he was the one to tell me first that he wanted to learn how to swim. He was fascinated with the ocean, and whenever we took trips to the beach, he’d always love getting in the water, though of course I made sure to keep an eye on him. Unlike the other children who are afraid of even just putting their faces in the water, Shouyou had always been brave. Even at home, he was always fond of dipping his head in the water of the tub when we took baths, trying to hold his breath underwater. He really, really loved the water back then.

“But on our last trip to the beach… His sister, Natsu, she wanted snow cones, so I went to accompany her to buy some. It was almost sunset at the time, so Shouyou decided he’d take advantage of his remaining time in the water, since we planned to return to the hotel after we watched the sunset. My wife promised to watch over him, and I trusted her to do that, so Natsu and I left them.

“Luckily the snow cone stall wasn’t too far from where we left them, because the next thing I knew, I heard my wife screaming my name and Shouyou’s. So I told Natsu to stay with the stall owner, who was a friend I trusted, while I ran back… And I saw Shouyou, a distance from the shore, drowning.

“Of course, I did what I had to do, and I swam out right away to save him. It looks like I came right on time, too, because he was nearly passed out by the time I got to him… And honestly, I admire him for being strong enough to keep holding on as long as he did. I took him back to shore, where a small crowd had gathered, and by then the local lifeguard had just made it back on time, too. Apparently his shift had just ended so he was about to leave, but he heard my wife screaming and returned as quickly as he could. He helped me give first aid to Shouyou, who was shaken up pretty badly by the entire thing.

“As it turns out, my wife hadn’t been paying enough attention to Shouyou while he was swimming, and she didn’t notice that he was beginning to go into the deeper parts of the water, and the current was a little strong at the time, too. The truth was, our relationship was already beginning to fall apart back then, and part of the reason behind the beach trip was so that we could try to reconcile things between us, with the kids…But the arguments we had during the trip, concluded by the incident with Shouyou, made us realize we were probably better off without each other. We filed our divorce papers soon after. I think… I think Shouyou feels guilty about that, too.

“But anyway, that’s the story. After that trip, Shouyou got so scared of water that even taking baths became a problem for him. It wasn’t too long ago that I finally got him used to the tub again. I was supposed to cancel his enrolment for swimming classes, but when I told him about it, Shouyou told me he still wanted to learn.” Daichi paused from his story, a fond smile appearing on his face. “He’s a really strong kid, really.”

Koushi was silent when Daichi finished, not sure what to say. He had already expected that Shouyou’s problems dealt with trauma, especially with how badly he shook every time he attempted to swim, but he didn’t expect this. The trauma of nearly drowning because your mother neglected you, and the guilt because you felt you were the reason for your parents’ divorce… It was too much for a child.

There was a bit of a solemn atmosphere between them now, but Koushi smiled lightly as he looked up at Daichi. “Thank you for telling me that, Sawamura-san,” he said. “I understand a bit better now. And I promise, I’ll try my best to take care of Shouyou-kun well. You have my word on that.”

At his words, Daichi grinned. “I’ll hold you on to that, Suga.”


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wherein Shouyou finally learns to swim, and Koushi is asked out to a thank-you-for-teaching-Shouyou-to-swim dinner by Daichi. Koushi awkwardly dances around Daichi and tries to maintain a mantra of 'don't assume, don't assume.' Read: tries.

“It must be nice to be swim freestyle…” Shouyou murmured one day from the edge of the pool. He had tried his best again, but he still kept panicking the moment Koushi let go of his arms. He had stubbornly refused to keep using the paddle board because no other kid was using it, much to Koushi’s exasperation and worry.

Koushi frowned at Shoyou, who had then sank half of his face into the water, blowing bubbles to the surface as he watched the others swim the freestyle under Chikara's guidance. "Shouyou-kun..." he started, trying to think of the best way to address this problem. "Can I ask you something?"

Shoyou turned his large brown eyes to him but didn't bring himself out of the water to speak.

Koushi scratched at his cheek. "Are you... afraid of the water, or being underwater?"

Shoyou drew himself up with a frown. "Is there a difference, Suga-sensei?" he asked, although Koushi could see the gears of his mind turning to process that question, so he waited.

He suddenly lowered his gaze and played with his fingers underwater. "I..." he trailed off, his voice wavering. "I'm afraid of sinking, Suga-sensei. I can't seem to k-keep myself over the water, and... and it really scares me. Maybe... Maybe I wouldn't be scared if I didn't have to put my head underwater." Then his face scrunched up in frustration when he realized that that was what he had been doing for the past sessions.

Koushi stared at Shoyou with wide eyes, looking at him as if he had just discovered a new species. 'Why... Why didn't I think about it before!? It's the perfect solution!' He felt his lips stretched into a large grin.

Grabbing Shouyou by the shoulders, the made the orange-haired boy turn to face him. There was an obvious confusion in his eyes, but Koushi wasn't deterred. "Suga-sensei?" he asked.

"Then," Koushi started, his tone filled with excitement, "why don't I teach you the backstroke, Shouyou-kun? You definitely won't need to put your head down the water! And you'd also be able to see the sky above, see?" He pointed at the transparent roof over the entire poor area. "What do you say? Wanna try it out?"

Shouyou's eyes slowly grew wide as he processed that information. The backstroke... meant that he wouldn't need to go completely underwater! "You think I can do it?" he asked almost disbelievingly. After all these failures, it seemed so unreal that there would actually be a solution to his dilemma.

Koushi gave him a thumbs up. "Of course! It's Shouyou-kun, after all." He was excited to do this. If this worked, he could slowly expose Shouyou to swimming without a guide! It seemed like an insignificant stepping stone, but it was a pretty big thing for a child to get over his fear.

The way Shouyou smiled so brightly made Koushi's chest warm.

"Alright! Let's do it!" He pumped his fists into the air and looked excitedly at Koushi. "How should I do it, Suga-sensei?"

Koushi gently took Shouyou by the arm. "Shouyou-kun, you know remember how to float, right?" When the orange-haired boy nodded his confirmation, Koushi guided him as he slowly pushed his feet off the tiled floor. He was unsteady for a few moments, but Koushi made sure that Shouyou felt his steadying hand on his back. After a few tries, Shouyou managed to keep himself floating steadily on the surface of the water. "Alright, Shouyou-kun, that's good, keep it steady," he murmured firmly.

Shouyou's face was scrunched up in concentration, but as soon as his float stabilized, he broke out into one of the brightest grins that Koushi had seen on him.

"Okay, next. Try to move your arm like this," he said, guiding Shouyou's arm to stretch over his head and into the water. "Once it goes underwater, you move your other arm, so that you don't lose your balance in the water." He let Shouyou move his other arm while he guided the one he was already holding. For a few cycles, he repeated this, but then decided to slowly step it up a level. "Are you ready for the next step, Shouyou-kun?"

Shouyou nodded eagerly, obviously ecstatic that he was making progress that he could actually handle.

Koushi couldn't take it. This child was just too precious. He was like a ball of sunshine compacted into a small, energetic body. If Shouyou was smiling, Koushi felt that he, too, could smile along. "Alright then. Why don't you try in on your own?" A flicker of fear returned to Shouyou's brown eyes, but Koushi was quick to reassure him. "Don't worry, I'll keep my hands under you in case you sink. I promise I won't let you sink, Shouyou-kun."

Shouyou nodded again, this time in determination. He began moving as instructed, and to Koushi's surprise, managed to maintain his balance on top of the water until the other end of the pool. He gasped when he felt tile hit his fingers so he stopped to stand up on his legs. "Suga-sensei! That was so cool! I got to the end of the pool! And I could see the sky from here!" he blabbered energetically, his eyes sparkling from his new achievement. "It was totally not scary! I can swim!" He kept pumping his fists in joy, and Koushi gave in to the urge to pat Shouyou on the head for a job well done.

"Did you have fun?" he asked, although the answer was already obvious.

The way Shouyou nodded made Koushi fear for whiplash.

"What's so great about the backstroke?" grouched Tobio, who had waded closer to watch Shouyou attempt his first swim. Koushi tensed, ready to berate Tobio again for saying insensitive things that might put Shouyou down, but he was surprised when Shouyou suddenly lunged and grabbed Tobio by the shoulders to shake him.

"Kageyama! Swim with me!" he cheered, his smile wide and bright. Koushi could see how it confused Tobio, who just stared at Shouyou like he was a new type of animal. "C'mon, c'mon! Let's do more backstroke! You too, Yamaguchi!"

Tadashi jumped in surprise. "M-Me?" He was suddenly clinging to Kei, who looked irritated that his conversation with the freckled boy had been interrupted. "But I don't know how to swim the backstroke... We've only done freestyle so far..." he nervously stated.

But Shouyou wasn't to be deterred, and he latched on to Yaaguchi's arm. "Suga-sensei can teach you! Suga-sensei can teach all of us!" He turned his bright gaze to Koushi. "Right?"

There was no other way to reply than an equally bright smile and a cheerful "Of course I'll teach you!"

###### .

“Suga! Hey, Suga!”

Koushi turned around at the sound of his name being called, though he realized too late who the voice belonged to. His cheeks flushed slightly as he watched Daichi approach him. He hadn’t expected to see him at all; there were no classes today, so Koushi didn’t have to work, but he came to the pool anyway because he forgot a couple of things in his locker. “Ah, yes? Is there anything you need, Sawamura-san?”

“I wanted to thank you.” Daichi was grinning widely, and he gave Koushi a pat on the shoulder, making the gray-haired man blush a bit more. “I heard from Shouyou that he was able to start swimming yesterday, all thanks to you. So, I wanted to give you my gratitude.”

“Ah, it’s no problem at all! And besides, it’s not all my doing.” Koushi smiled, remembering the events of the day before. Seeing Shouyou smile happily because he was finally able to swim… Just the memory warmed his heart, and he grinned back at Daichi. “Don’t worry about it! I’m happy that I was able to help.”

“Still… Thank you so much, Suga. It means a lot.” The happiness was radiating from Daichi, and it made Koushi chuckle. He was glad that Daichi was such a concerned and kind father, just the kind that Shouyou needed. “Anyway… As thanks, I wanted to ask you out to dinner.”

Yup. A really, really nice father -

Wait. _WHAT._

“D-dinner?” Koushi repeated, willing himself not to turn red (and failing).

“Yeah, dinner.” Daichi looked a bit sheepish, scratching the back of his head as he smiled at Koushi. “Maybe tonight? A friend of mine will be babysitting the kids, so we could go out and get something to eat. That is, uh, if you’re free. And if you actually say yes.” He laughed awkwardly, and Koushi could only stare.

_‘Is this a date? Is this actually a date?’_ Koushi mentally shook his head. No. No way. That would be _way_ too good to be true. He shouldn’t assume. _‘That’s right. He did say it’s just to thank me. Nothing less, and nothing more. And besides, just because he’s divorced, it doesn’t mean that he’s interested in me. Yeah. This isn’t a date, just a gesture of gratitude. Right. Just a thank you for helping Shouyou-kun.’_

Yet even with those thoughts, Koushi couldn’t deny the giddy feeling in his stomach. Date or not, he was being invited by Daichi, his own crush, to dinner. Tonight, with just the two of them.

He smiled, fingers crossed behind his back. “Of course I’ll go, Sawamura-san.”

.

That night’s dinner was followed by another, and another, and another, and yet another. And then it became customary for Daichi and Koushi to eat together, sometimes at the cafe, sometimes at a restaurant outside. Sometimes Koushi even made Daichi a bento. And then there was the drive-in movie they went to, and the art exhibit a friend of Daichi’s was holding, and walks around the park or around the town or even the city. There were the times Daichi walked Koushi home when he could, and even the times Daichi, accompanied by a bright-eyed, bubbly Shouyou, picked Koushi up in the morning and went to the pool together.

Sometimes Daichi would give him a call, and Koushi would pick up feeling a tiny bit flustered, and they would talk about anything. Sometimes the calls lasted for minutes, and sometimes for hours, but Daichi always ended the call thanking Koushi for his company and wishing him well, and Koushi hanging up afterwards and staring at his phone with his face completely red.

Sometimes when they talked, or even just when they walked side by side, Daichi leaned in a little too close. Sometimes he was so close, Koushi could feel his breath on his skin. Sometimes when Daichi laughed he’d put an arm around Koushi, and sometimes he’d hold Koushi’s hand whenever he led him somewhere. 

It was way too much for poor little Koushi’s heart.

_‘Don’t assume,’_ he always told himself. It became his personal mantra, and he repeated it even more in his head whenever Daichi did those things that made his heart run a marathon (though honestly, there was little that Daichi did which didn’t do just that). _‘Don’t assume, don’t assume, don’t assume.’_

Maybe Daichi was just being really friendly. Some people were like that when they were friendly, right? They got really close, just a tad touchy. And besides, Koushi was Shouyou’s teacher. This only started because he managed to teach Shouyou how to overcome his fear of the water and to finally swim.

And yet…

And yet, every time, Koushi hoped. Every time Daichi called out his name and walked over to him with a smile, every time Daichi invited him to something, every time they were alone together, Koushi hoped. Every time Daichi gave him a call, every time he heard Daichi’s voice in his ear, every time Daichi wished him a good night, Koushi hoped. Every time Daichi stood next to him, every time Daichi put an arm around him, every time their fingers brushed against each other and even every time Daichi held him by the hand, Koushi hoped.

‘But what if?’ That was Koushi’s constant fear, and it was driving him insane. This wasn’t good for his heart, with him constantly hoping and wishing that maybe, just maybe, Daichi liked him back.

Koushi lay on his bed, staring at his phone screen, bright in the darkness of his room. He stared at his inbox and at his call log, filled with Daichi, Daichi, Daichi.

He closed his eyes, sighing.

_‘I have to tell him.’_

###### .

Finding the right time to confess was never easy, Koushi realized.

He had already realized it much earlier with Hajime, who had left the town before Koushi could tell him how he felt. Back then, he had felt so lonely that he had stayed at Tooru’s place for a time, the latter trying to cheer him up as best as he can. And Koushi realized it again now, but there was a difference.

With Hajime, it had only been infatuation. An attraction that had started because he found Hajime to be very attractive, a crush that had developed further when he got to know Hajime better and found him to be a nice and reliable guy.

But with Daichi, it was so much more.

With Daichi, Koushi felt that it could be love.

And that made confessing so much worse. Koushi had never been in love before, and he had never confessed before, either. What if he messed up? What if Daichi didn’t feel the same way? In fact, what if Daichi felt _disgusted_ , discovering that the man he’s been friendly with for the past few weeks was _gay_ , and had been crushing on him all along?

_‘He probably doesn’t like me that way,’_ Koushi thought dejectedly, watching Daichi from afar, helping a group of teenagers figure out the directions to the snack bar. _‘He’s such a nice guy, the perfect guy, and I… I’m not much, am I?’_ He sighed deeply, shaking his head. Maybe he shouldn’t confess after all. What if confessing to Daichi only ruined their relationship? Things between them were already going so well, and Koushi didn’t want to ruin that.

“Oh, hey, Suga! I didn’t know you were here. Aren’t classes over?” Daichi grinned as he approached, and Koushi cursed mentally. He wasn’t ready for this yet! “Did you want anything?”

_‘To tell you how I feel.’_ “A-ah, no, um… I was actually just taking a walk around!” Koushi laughed, and he inwardly flinched when he heard how awkward he sounded. “H-how are you doing today?”

Daichi blinked, noticing that there was something a bit different with how Koushi was acting, but he just smiled and shrugged. “Great, I guess. Everyone’s lively today, but at the same time no one’s really been causing trouble, so everything’s good. How about you? You look pretty preoccupied.”

“O-oh, um, it’s nothing.” Koushi laughed again, trying to make it sound more natural this time, waving a hand dismissively. “The heat is just giving me a bit of a headache.”

“You should drink some water and get some rest then.” It almost gave Koushi literal heart pains seeing Daichi smile the way he did; he just looked so _beautiful_. And way too good for him. “Tell you what, my shift ends in half an hour, so if you don’t mind waiting for me, maybe we can walk home together? We can grab some ice cream on the way, too.”

“Ah, i-ice cream sounds good, yes.” This was it, wasn’t it? An opportunity. When they were alone later on, Koushi would confess. “I’ll wait for you in the lobby, then?”

“Sounds good.” Daichi grinned, looking pleased, before glancing back at the pool. “Anyway, I have to get back to work! I’ll see you later, Suga!” he called out, waving as he left.

“Yeah.” Koushi smiled and waved back at his retreating figure. When Daichi was out of sight, Koushi sighed, turning to head to the lobby to wait.

###### .

Koushi also realized that, despite how determined you were, it was _still_ difficult to confess.

He didn’t know how to squeeze in a confession, not when he was talking and laughing with Daichi as they walked home. Daichi was telling him a funny story about work today, when he helped some of the kids pull a prank on a completely unsuspecting Tooru. Suga listened and laughed along with him, of course, but he couldn’t keep himself from occasionally pausing to just look at Daichi and wonder how to confess.

“I’m glad Oikawa was a good sport about it,” Daichi was saying now, chuckling softly. “We all ended up playing with the kids, and it was really fun. I wish Shouyou was there.”

“Yeah, I’m sure he would’ve enjoyed it,” Koushi agreed. Shouyou was a lively boy after all, and he loved to play. Now that he had begun to swim, and was adjusting to being in the water every class, he’d often come up with and initiate water games that the other kids would also enjoy. Koushi and Chikara joined in, though of course they made sure to always keep an eye out for the kids.

“I wish you were there too.” Daichi turned to look at him, smiling, and Koushi felt his heart flutter in his chest. God, he was in so deep, wasn’t he? “You’re a pro with kids, Suga, and I’m sure you would’ve had a lot of fun, too.” He moved a bit closer as he spoke, and Koushi’s face began to heat up. “I would’ve liked it if you’d been there, Suga.”

“S-Sawamura-san.” Koushi stepped back, his face completely red. He couldn’t take this anymore. It was way too much. “P-please… Please, stop.”

Daichi blinked, looking at him in confusion. “Suga…?”

“Please… Please stop doing this.” Koushi took a few deep breaths; this was probably the right time. He had to tell Daichi now, before he lost it. “Don’t you get it, Sawamura-san? I… I like you, I really, really, really like you… And… This is getting pretty awkward for me, okay, because I keep telling myself to not assume that we’re dating because we’re not, and… All this, all of this that we’re doing, it’s not good for my heart, so please, just… Please just stop.”

This time Daichi’s eyes widened, and he stared at Koushi in disbelief. At this point Koushi just wanted to melt into a puddle and die. 

_‘I shouldn’t have said that, I shouldn’t have said that, Ishouldn’thavesaidthat, augh Koushi you’re so stupid...’_ His heart beat frantically in his chest, and he was already considering various methods of escaping from the scene. Running away, curling up into a ball and literally rolling away, jumping in front of one of the cars that sped by-

“Wait, wait, wait,” Daichi suddenly said, interrupting Koushi’s thoughts. “We _are_ dating, Suga, I… What did you think I meant when I asked you out?”

“...What?” This time it was Koushi who looked confused, blinking up at Daichi. “The… The first time… It was to thank you me for getting Shouyou-kun to swim, right?”

“Well, yeah, but what about all the times after that?”

“I…” Koushi’s eyes widened. “You mean… Those were real dates?”

“What did you think?!”

“You never said they were dates!”

“I thought you took the hint!”

“Well you should’ve made them clearer for me to understand!”

“Why are we yelling at each other about this!”

They stopped, staring at each other for a few moments, before simultaneously bursting into laughter. “I can’t believe it,” Daichi said, putting a hand over his stomach as he tried to keep himself from laughing any further. “I can’t believe I’ve been asking you out to dates all this time, and you just thought we were hanging out.”

“I can’t believe I kept telling myself not to think they were dates, when they actually were all along.” Koushi chuckled as he wiped a tear from his eye, and he looked at Daichi with a hopeful smile. “So… We’re dating? For real?”

Daichi laughed again, but he held his hand out to Koushi, a sheepish yet happy smile on his face. “We’re dating. For real.”

“Okay. Good.” Koushi smiled and took his hand, feeling the happiest he’d ever been in his entire life. “Let’s go home?”

“Yeah, let’s.”

###### Epilogue:

“Daichi, can you hand me those carrots over there?” Koushi asked from his position in front of the stove. This was another one of their dinner dates, and like many others, Koushi was cooking. However, this time, they would be joined by Natsu and Shouyou on the table, so Koushi was strictly forbidden from preparing anything spicy since Shouyou always refused to eat anything that was remotely spicy (except for those meat buns he adored, oddly enough).

Daichi walked over, carrots in one hand and a rolled-up newspaper in the other. He had been playing with the kids in the living room, with his as the dragon, Shouyou as the princess, and Natsu as the knight who had come to save 'her'. "How's the stew going?" he asked, leaning over to press a kiss to Koushi's cheek, making the silver-haired male giggle softly.

"It's going splendidly, of course," Koushi quipped, reaching for the carrots in Daichi's hand and the chopping board on the counter. "I'm making it pretty sweet for the kids, so they should like it." Natsu and Shouyou weren't strangers to his cooking; he had brought some of his kitchen concoctions when he dropped by in the past, and so far, they loved all of them. Koushi was confident that this one would be the same.

Daichi hummed and moved to peer into the pot of boiling meat and vegetable chunks. "Looks lovely, like always. Should I set the table?" he asked, sneaking in another kiss, this time on Koushi's nape. The action made Koushi squeal a bit, in surprise and because of the ticklish feeling that ran up his skin.

"Daichi!" he scolded, a fond but exasperated smile playing on his lips. "And yes, please set the table, I'm almost done with this."

Daichi poked his head out of the kitchen. "Natsu, Shouyou! Dinner's almost ready!" he called out. He was answered by two distinct squeals as Natsu and Shouyou raced each other to the kitchen. They both slammed into Daichi's legs, making the male grunt. "Hey, easy there, you two. Don't want to knock me over, do you?"

Natsu stretched her arms up, asking to be carried. Daichi, being the doting father that he was, obliged and lifted her high into the air. "Dragons be killed by knights!" she squealed, reaching out to pinch Daichi's nose. Daichi garbled in response, pretending to stagger.

Shouyou pumped his fists. "Oooh! Nice, Natsu!"

"No! You've defeated me! The dragon dies!" Daichi spoke dramatically, slurring his words to create a fading-out effect.

Koushi chuckled at the scene. "Alright, alright, that's enough knights and princesses for today. It's time to eat."

This time, it was Shouyou who squealed. "Suga-san's stew! Gimme, gimme!" He jumped multiple times in front of Koushi, but Koushi held the pot out of his reach, which wasn't that hard considering Shouyou's short stature.

"Shouyou, be careful! This is hot," Koushi scolded with a stern voice, but he was smiling.

Daichi put Natsu down and directed her to her chair. "Shouyou, to your own seat. The sooner we finish with dishes, the sooner we get to watch that movie we rented." The two children cheered and began to dig into the portions of the meal. Of course, Shouyou attempted to recount the tale of how Kei had tried to answer their teacher's show-and-tell questions about his family. Natsu then helped with Tobio's impression, flattening her bangs against her forehead and scowling.

Suddenly, Shouyou fell quiet. He stared at Daichi and Koushi with an unusually wide gaze. "Suga-san, you're always at our house. Are you and dad being lovey-dovey?" he asked in a quiet tone. Natsu, too, had fallen silent.

Daichi and Koushi froze. They had both expected this question sooner or later, especially since Koushi might as well be living in the Sawamura household. But Shouyou had sprung it out of nowhere... They had already discussed how they would tell the kids, and how they would deal with the possible consequences that came with their reactions, no matter what they were.

They both shared a look, and at Daichi's nod, Koushi cleared his throat before facing Shouyou. "...yes, Shouyou-kun, your dad and I are being lovey-dovey." The term was odd on his tongue, but he didn't really want to introduce the concepts of 'boyfriends' this early on.

With bated breath, Koushi and Daichi waited for the reactions that would tell them what to do next.

Not really surprisingly, Shouyou only brightened. "Ooh!" He seemed pretty surprised himself, even if he was the one who had asked the question in the first place. "Then, can Suga-san can be my mommy? I need a mommy for show-and-tell next week, and you're very pretty."

Koushi flushed at the praise. He was relieved, he and Daichi both were. Natsu and Shouyou adored him, and the feeling was mutual. But having their approval of their relationship was like a big weight off his chest. "I'd be lucky to have you as my child, Shouyou-kun. You too, Natsu-chan." The girl beamed.

Daichi chuckled. "Lucky, indeed."


End file.
